Coming back? after 7 years

Check out Dream Valley. Definitely new AND interesting.

Welcome back, btw.

 

I may not have been in this hobby for nearly as long, but there's a lot of new, individual BJD artists and sculptors who weren't around in the past!

 

Lots more fantasy / anime dolls, are two things folks longer in the hobby than I have mentioned.

 

If you like massive boy dolls, you are in for a big treat!

 

I think the 'weird', for lack of a better word, aesthetic is much more prevalent. Check out Coral Reef, Dream Valley, etc. Lots of neat dolls!

 

I'm not much in the buying more dolls loop, so I miss a lot, but I'm certain there are lots of new sculpts and makers around. I get the impression many of them operate largely on instagram or may not be on the bigger dealer sites. I hope you find cool things that inspire you

 

Meeksdoll is making some guys with interesting faces. Just announced their first girl doll.

A lot of the active artists I see are posting to WiPs to Instagram.

 

I think you maybe haven't been back long enough to spot what's changed or missing yet.

Sure there are lots of familiar names and brands standing the test of time. One wouldn't be expected to remember the unsuccessful or unpopular names so readily.

Many brands have retired sculpts in sweeping short-notice cutbacks, or worse, closed up shop and seemingly disappeared into the sands of time with hardly a trace to be found online. April Story / 4 Seasons, Miya, Illusion Spirit, Daydream, Felix Brownie... a dozen smaller studios too. Some much-beloved artists whose names you'd probably remember (Sprouty doll, Frappzilla, etc) have moved on with their lives and/or branched off into different crafts. Some brands may be in a different state than where you last saw them. DollHeart had a split and their talent is now operating as FaithZ / CodeNoir, while DollHeart continues to exist, producing different products of different quality than before. (Research everything before purchasing anything even from familiar names! Assume nothing!)

Technology and trends have changed a lot too. 1/5 / tall YoSD size has been on the rise, and Big Baby size had a moment, but also 70+ cm males have taken over in a huge way. Double jointing is almost an expectation on new dolls now. Artist dolls and unique casting techniques make for a very interesting hobby scene.

Welcome back to it! Hope you'll find a lot of inspiration and at least points of interest as you play spot-the-differences.

 

Doll chateau has always been my go to for strange and fun sculpts! Their smaller dolls tend to have really fun variations in body types and faces